Yesterday at Comic Con, Steven Moffat threatened his fans , saying that if they leaked the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary trailer online, there would be no more Doctor Who or Sherlock exclusive footage at Comic Con ever again.  The threat was in part due to the fact that fans of Sherlock leaked an exclusive trailer minutes after it premiered.

First of all, let’s pretend like Moffat actually has the authority to make such a statement on behalf of the cast, crew, production, and the BBC.  Secondly, why is Moffat treating his fans like a mother reprimanding her children? Comic Con is about indulging your fans. It’s about celebrating them. If you want to see how to do this, just look at ANY OTHER PANEL at Comic Con, where you can be absolutely sure that writers and directors are not threatening their fans. Might they ask fans to politely put away the phones? Sure, in fact that’s probably protocol. You could even look towards your own actors, who, despite their awkward, gangly, monochromatic dispositions, actually do know how to please a crowd when asked.

What could have honestly been THAT important about leaking the trailer that would lead Moffat to reprimand his fans at the very event that they stood outside in the heat for, probably paid airfares and hotels for, probably waited a year excitedly for, and mostly likely donate heinous amounts of their daily lives for? Here are some possibilities that defenders of Moffat have been stating on the *oh god, shield Moffat’s eyes* internet…

1) He doesn’t want storylines or scenes to be revealed– Um, it’s a trailer. It really shouldn’t do that. In fact, I’d say trailers on the whole don’t do that because then no one would actually see the movie. Also, the BBC is reportedly about the premiere the trailer, like, literally yesterday. So…

2) He wants us to watch the good-quality trailer on the BBC Youtube channel instead of the low quality one that an iPhone pointed at a projection screen would produce– What would I do if I were a fan who had to endure the pain of sitting through two minutes of blurry Matt Smith or audio-less David Tennant? Well, after seeing if I can find a better quality video someplace else, I’d watch it again. On the BBC Youtube channel. Because, you know, it’s free… and stuff. In fact, even if I did find a good quality video prior to the BBC’s official premiere, I’d still watch it again on BBC Youtube. And I’ll send it to my friends and fellow Whovians. And forcefeed it to my family. And the BBC gets 10 hits immediately.

3) Doctor Who is still trying to find its audience and needs all the help it can get , which piracy prevents– Nah, I made that one up. Doctor Who doesn’t need any help. At least, definitely not financial help.

4) Sherlock fans are crazy and Moffat had no choice but to retaliate harshly– You know a fandom is good when it doesn’t care about the nonsense restrictions that its head writer puts on them. Because apparently they know something that Moffat doesn’t… this whole internet thing is what’s actually made Moffat lots and lots of money. DW and Sherlock would NEVER have the influence they do now if it weren’t for leaky trailers, fan communities, and internet freedom.

So stop your whining, Moffat, and celebrate the fans and the internet realms that, if nothing else, have heralded your success.